Whitmore Goes for Fifth Straight Hot Springs Stakes Win

Robert LaPenta, Southern Springs Stables, and Head of Plains Partners' Whitmore is a record consecutive four-time winner of the $200,000 Hot Springs Stakes at Oaklawn Park. The 8-year-old Pleasantly Perfect gelding will try to add a fifth straight win in the six-furlong sprint March 13 and will be bringing his new champion credentials with him.

After rallying from 10th to win the Nov. 7 Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) by 3 1/4 lengths at Keeneland, Whitmore was named champion male sprinter of 2020. The Hot Springs will be his first start of the year for trainer Ron Moquett, a co-owner of Whitmore as Southern Springs Stables.

"We're grateful that he's around and still wanting to do the things necessary to be a racehorse," Moquett said. "We're happy to get this year started."

Video: Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1)

Whitmore returned to the work tab Feb. 6 at Oaklawn, but missed 11 days of training, Moquett said, because of severe winter weather. He breezed again Feb. 25, turning in a half-mile in :47 2/5, and last worked five furlongs in 1:00 March 4. 

"That's by design," Moquett said of the sharp times. "Whitmore, if we wanted him to, he'd work :47 and :58 every time. But we usually can dial what we want, and if we didn't need those kind of sharp works—we missed two crucial works. Usually going into the Hot Springs we have five or six works. This year we've gotten three."

From 14 races at Oaklawn, Whitmore boasts a 9-4-1 record. And from 24 starts at six furlongs, he holds a record of 13-7-2. Ricardo Santana Jr. will ride the 8-5 morning-line favorite from post 6.

"He's the man. Around our barn Whitmore's in charge," Moquett said. "He's fun to have around, and he makes all the decisions for the rest of us. We're happy."

Moquett also has LaPenta and Harlow Stables' Firecrow entered in the Hot Springs, but said the gelding is "more than likely to scratch" unless the track comes up sloppy, a surface Whitmore has not run his best over.

"Firecrow is eventually going to be I think a really nice turf sprinter. There wasn't another race, so I thought we'd look at this and if it becomes real sloppy, to where Whitmore's proven that he's at a disadvantage, then what I would do is run him; that way we could guarantee that we would be represented in this race," Moquett said. "We've won it four years in a row, and we want to try to win it again if we can with Whitmore. But if it should come up a bad track that Whitmore doesn't like and is at a disadvantage, then what we'll do is we'll switch over to Firecrow."

Breaking from Whitmore's outside will be Madaket Stables, Gary Barber, and Tom Kagele's C Z Rocket, who was second to Whitmore in the Breeders' Cup. The 7-year-old City Zip gelding was a $40,000 claim by Kagele last spring and moved to Peter Miller's barn. He won five straight races, topped by the Pat O'Brien Stakes (G2) at Del Mar and the Santa Anita Sprint Championship (G2) at Santa Anita Park, before being passed by Whitmore in the Breeders' Cup. Florent Geroux will ride C Z Rocket Saturday.

Completing the field are Boldor and Mr. Jagermeister, the respective first- and third-place finishers of the Feb. 6 King Cotton Stakes at Oaklawn; grade 2 winner Flagstaff, a close second in both the Pat O'Brien and Santa Anita Sprint Championship and fourth in the King Cotton; and Engage, who beat Whitmore by a half-length to take the 2019 Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix Stakes (G2) at Keeneland.

You're to Blame at His Distance in Temperence Hill

At the other end of the distance spectrum Saturday at Oaklawn will be the $150,000 Temperence Hill Stakes, for older horses racing 1 1/2 miles.

Flurry Racing Stables' You're to Blame is the 3-1 morning-line choice and will be making his second start for the owners and Moquett. In 2018, racing for Bortolazzo Stable and trainer Todd Pletcher, he won the Greenwood Cup (G3) at 12 furlongs and was second in the Temperence Hill Invitational Stakes at Belmont Park, a 1 5/8-mile race. 

"We bought him with this race in mind and very excited to get these distance races started and really pumped up to see where he's at," Moquett said. "He's a very classy, nice horse. Obviously Todd had a great deal of success with him. Whenever he came up for sale, we were lucky to be able to try to snatch him up."

The son of Distorted Humor  was sixth in his 7-year-old debut, a one-mile allowance optional claimer Feb. 4 at Oaklawn.

"It was (timing). I didn't want to work him five or six times. I just thought we'll give him a race, and if he gets it and he wins—he's won at that distance before—then great. If not, then we don't have to train him heavy every day, and he'll get some race fitness out of it. So, that's the reason," Moquett said. "I'm not one of these guys that is crazy about win percentage versus what's best for the horse's welfare. It's harder to keep a horse healthy and happy breezing them in the morning than it is to run them. I was happy that we were able to get him a race."

Woodford Racing's Campaign, who has a 3-1-1 record from seven starts at 1 1/2 miles, will also stretch back out after racing a mile in his season debut. The 6-year-old son of Curlin  trained by John Sadler was steadied at the start of the Feb. 6 Thunder Road Stakes (G3T) at Santa Anita Park and trailed home. It was his first start since second beaten a neck in the Temperence Hill a year ago on a sloppy track.

Shortleaf Stable's John Ed Anthony will be represented by Plainsman in the Temperence Hill, a race named for Anthony's 1980 champion 3-year-old male, a winner of that year's Belmont Stakes (G1).

Tenfold, Coal Truth, Carlos L., Treasure Trove, Muralist, Split the Wickets, and Lone Rock complete the field.